Choices
by Angel's Angel
Summary: Kumiko is faced with choices now that she is growing up. Few short stories concerning the choices she had


**I do not own Prince of Tennis!**

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_**Choices**_

_**Prince of Tennis/Tenipuri story**_

"You're not going to go pro?" Marui asked the brown haired girl beside him.

"No Marui-senpai, I'm not."

"But why? You can kick them as better as that Echizen kid does!" The girl beside her sighed and plopped a piece of cake into her mouth.

"I don't think competition suits me… I played tennis for the fun and enjoyment of it, not for winning…"

"But you can find strong opponents there… you always loved strong opponents, Kumiko…" The girl beside him went quiet for a while before shaking her head.

"I still don't think competitions are for me… I'm thinking about working in a bakery or something. Wouldn't you think baking was more for me now, Marui-senpai? Cakes and sweets…"

"But I still think you should at least try…"

"Even onii-chan said it's good if I don't go, since he doesn't want me to be pressured to win… competition always made me nervous."

"What about back then at when we were still in Rikkai?"

"We were a team, Marui-senpai… I don't like being alone… we had so much fun together and I wanted it to stay that way… playing tennis together with everyone…" the red haired man sighed and shook her head.

"Suit yourself, maybe Yukimura was right, you were not for competitions…"

"See? Everyone thought so and everyone said so."

"Yes, yes, you win. Now finish that cake before I take it from you." Kumiko giggles and ate the cake.

"So… what choices do you have now?" Kumiko finished her cake and grinned at Marui.

"I'll do what I used to do, play tennis for fun, bake cakes and cookies for everyone, and sketch to free my mind." Marui smiled and patted Kumiko's head like he used to all those years.

"Marui-senpai! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Well? Yukimura still babies you and so can I!" The younger girl started grumbling as she left the café with her red haired senpai.

/

"How are you doing, Kumiko?" Kumiko was on the phone, on the other side was her dear older brother who had stayed in Germany for years. He would visit once in a while, but they kept contact with each other until Marui wondered how Kumiko would pay the telephone bill.

"I'm okay onii-chan, how about you?" Kumiko asked, gripping the phone tightly in her hands.

"I'm okay, do you have something you wanted to say to me? You can't hide anything from me, Kumiko." Kumiko's throat suddenly became try as her lips trembled.

"A-Am I picking the right choice, onii-chan…?" Kumiko spoke, hiding in the comfort of her older brother's old bedroom.

"Kumiko…"

"Everyone said that I'm not suited for competition, you did too onii-chan. I know that it's true, but somehow I just wondered if I made the right choice… there's so many choices… I'm not sure…" Kumiko heard a sigh from the other line and was sure she saw her older brother rubbing his temples.

"You're not a child anymore Kumiko, even I have to realize that… I know making choices are hard now, but you have to know what's best for you…"

"I've been thinking onii-chan…" Tezuka who's on the other line listened intently, occasionally brushing his manager aside and throwing some glares to whoever would eavesdrop on him. When he heard Kumiko's serious tone, he knows it is important to listen and no one is going to stop him from listening how his baby sister growing up.

"Yes Kumiko?"

"I was thinking of taking all the choices I have… and see what will last the longest… I might sound selfish, onii-chan, but I… I don't want to let anything go… I love everything I've been learning; tennis, baking, art… and a bit of medical knowledge wouldn't hurt…" Tezuka smiled a small smile, hearing how grown up his baby sister sounded.

"Are you sure you can take everything on?"

"I will try onii-chan… I won't know unless I try my best."

"Very well then, I know you can do it. Now, I just only wanted to ask, how?" Kumiko giggles, feeling her older brother twitching on the other line.

"I can learn from Ooishi-san and read books, I just needed to know first aid and basic emergency aid; I can play tennis with those who wanted to play with me, or I can even teach the kids at the tennis court; I'll be going to baking as well as cooking lessons; and I'll kept on sketching on my free time."

"I just hope you won't overdo it." Kumiko giggles, her brother never change after all these years.

"Well, everyone around me would scold me then if I overdid it! Everyone's still here onii-chan, Syuu nii especially… maybe I should reconsider about being a model if he kept on forcing me."

"No." Kumiko laughed when she heard her brother's blatant answer and knew exactly that he would NEVER let her be a model.

"I still have you and everyone onii-chan, I won't overdo myself. I'll try to balance everything and see which is for me, and then I'll tell you how I did!"

"Very well, I hope Atobe is taking good care of you?" Tezuka try to hold his chuckle when he heard a groan from his baby sister.

"Why do you have to ask someone to take care of me? And especially Atobe-san? I know I'm close to him, but why him? I might as well have Yukimura-senpai as my sitter…"

"Yukimura is pursuing his art, Fuji is busy with his photography, Yuuta is a bad influence on you, and I couldn't ask Sanada to be one."

"Why is Yuu nii a bad influence?"

"I don't want you with cuts and bruises."

"Oh please onii-chan… you're such a worrywart…"

"If you stop being a tomboy, then I will." Kumiko plops down on her brother's bed and curled up, still holding the phone close to her.

"How about Yanagi-san? I still have my Rikkai family to look after me and I don't need anyone else?"

"Atobe had volunteered to look after you and I trust him, he had too many time in his hands." Kumiko faked a gasp as she quickly sat up on bed.

"Atobe-san volunteered I should've been there…"

"And ran away? I don't think so. It's late, you should be in bed… **your** bed."

"Oops…"

"Good night Kumiko, I love you."

"Love you too, nii-chan! Take care!"

/

"Hime?" Kumiko was forced to spend a day at the Atobe mansion, she was lucky she got everything she needed and Atobe provided everything she wanted, much to her dismay. Kumiko was reading a medical book when Atobe suddenly called her.

"Yes, Atobe-san?"

"Tezuka had mentioned to be about your relationship with… that Kirihara boy." Kumiko blushed deep red as Atobe chuckles.

"Hime-sama is finally growing up?"

"Please don't mention it Atobe-san. It's embarrassing."

"So, how did you two get together?"

"We actually told each other when he was in his last year of Middle School… but we just stayed close and he never really ask me officially… he then decided to ask me officially before he go to pursue professional tennis." Kumiko said shyly.

"I see, but you do know the consequences of your relationship with him, right?" Kumiko let out a sigh.

"I know, Atobe-san… but I love him, I might be insecure about it, but we kept in contact with each other and he promises that he'd at least visit when he had time." Atobe sighed and closed the newspaper he was reading and looked at the young woman sitting on the grass near him.

"But if anything happens to you, or if he hurt you in any way…"

"I'd tell you, I know. Onii-chan said the same thing, or rather everyone said the same thing, even Echizen-kun." Kumiko groaned at how the other young man had forced her to say yes to that, he even make Sakuno coaxed her to say yes!

"Life is full of choices, but I think yours are more then mine, Hime."

"Oh shut it, Atobe-san. Don't tell choices to me, I have chosen enough already… so many choices making me dizzy."

"It is your life, Hime."

"I'll kept doing what I always do, and I won't give up on it."

"That's just like you, Hime." Kumiko eyed Atobe suspiciously as the latter raised an eyebrow at her.

"Who are you and what happened to the usual Atobe-san I used to see?"

"What usual Atobe-san?"

"You'd usually say something back to me, not always agreed with everything I say, Atobe-san." Kumiko saw Atobe let out a sigh and stood up to sat at the empty chair beside Atobe.

"You're not a little girl anymore, Hime. And you have your own thought to be appreciated."

"I guess… I've been too used to everyone having a say in everything I do…" Kumiko sighed as she played with the rim of the teacup the maid had brought her.

"I missed everyone…"

"We're not in school anymore, Hime."

"I know… but I just missed everyone… it's getting lonely…" Atobe sighed and patted Kumiko's head.

"How about we play one set? That would probably cheer you up, how about it? Up for a game of tennis, Hime?" Kumiko's head perked up and smiled widely at Atobe.

"Yeah!"

/

"Hey…" Kumiko smiled when she heard the voice from the other line as she sat on the bench in her University. She was looking through her notes and a recipe book before a call interrupted her.

"Hey to you too."

"How're you doing over there?"

"I'm okay, how about you? Are you okay over there?" Kumiko giggles when she heard the caller on the other line seemed to be shooing people away.

"I'm okay, with few people actually trying to eavesdrop!" Kumiko laughed when she heard her important person said the last word louder to emphasize on it.

"Don't think about it, so, how's the tournament?"

"I'm glad Tezuka-san is not on this tournament… I'm still a rookie anyway."

"But you'll do your best right? For me?"

"Always. I'll show you what I can do without your help."

"You've always done well without my help."

"Well, not really. I still need you." Kumiko blushed and smiled softly.

"I missed you, Akaya…"

"I missed you too, Kumiko…"

"You'll visit after the tournament right? I'll bake a cake for you then…"

"Yeah, I'll visit. And don't let Marui-senpai feast on it first before me!"

"Of course, I'll safe the first bite for you."

"I've been hearing… about choices you need to make?" Akaya heard a sigh from the other line and glared at people who are still trying to listen to him.

"Yeah… choices…"

"Just choose what you believe in, like you always told me, be confident of yourself… I'm always here for you…"

"Thank you, Akaya… that's sweet of you."

"Anything for my Kumiko!" Kumiko giggles and swatted away few of her colleague who are trying to listen to her conversation.

"I better get back, I'll call you again later. There are too many people looking at me, I can't talk with it."

"Sure, I'll be waiting… soon?"

"Yeah, very soon, when I got back to the hotel and lock the door and finally got some peace I'll call you." Akaya grinned when he heard her giggle.

"That sound hard, I'm actually having people listening to me as well."

"Tell them to buzz of or I'll come home and kick those people away."

"That's not nice, I'll get in trouble if you do that. You better go quickly, I think I heard your manager calling for you, good luck, Akaya."

"Don't worry, as long as you're with me I'll win." Kumiko shushed her colleagues who were whooping when they saw her blushing.

"Good luck, and practice your English more, yours is still bad."

"Yes, yes, I know. Love you."

"Love you too, come home soon."

"I will, later."

"Later…" Kumiko sighed as she closed her phone and glared at anyone who're grinning towards her.

"I know that was him!" her old friend Rika said.

"Oh shut up, Rika. He called, what's the big deal?"

"Of course it's a big deal! The famous Tezuka Kumiko got a call from none other than the famous Kirihara Akaya! And the fact that you're dating someone is big!"

"Shh! Not too loud!" Somewhere else at the other side of the world, Akaya is currently chasing his friends who are teasing him for saying 'Love you' on the phone and few of them had actually caught him saying mushy things.

/

Kumiko smiled as she placed her sketchbook down on the desk. Kumiko looked at the reflection of herself on the mirror. It is finally time, Kumiko smoothed the white dress she's wearing and sighed.

"Kumiko, are you ready?" her father opened the door as Kumiko stood up and nodded.

"I'm ready, tou-san." Kumiko then linked her hand to her father's arm as both of them walked towards the church.

"You're growing up… you're getting married now…"

"Don't cry on me now, tou-san…"

"My baby girl's getting married…"

"Tou-san…"

"Just… don't forget to call home when you're going on honeymoon, okay?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Now come on, he's waiting for you." Kuniharu opened the door to the silky black sedan waiting for them in front of her house as she hugged her grandfather tightly for the last time of her single days.

"Time to go to a new life, Kumiko… I'm proud of you…" Kunikazu said.

"I'll call home, I promise. I'll visit and I'll make cake and cook for you… I…"

"I know, I love you too, now go." Kumiko smiled, trying to hold her tears and hugged her grandfather and mother before going into the car with her father. In her room, on her desk, the sketchbook lay innocently. It was opened on a specific page that showed a picture of a young girl with people with similar tennis uniform. At the bottom of the page, an elegant writing was written there.

'_**Forever Eternally, family and friends, my beloved, my life and my soul.'

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**So... how's the story?**

**_R&R people~_**

_**I hope you find it to your liking!****  
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